16.11.09

Avocado and Orange Salad

So I made empanadas and salad for dinner tonight but I burnt the bottoms. I am not sure if it was the fact that I used aluminum foil instead of the parchment paper that the recipe called for or the fact that I sprayed the aluminum foil with Pam. Besides the burnt bottoms, the boyfriend and I thought something was missing. We thought it was maybe the cloves I omitted since I didn't have any.

But then I realized - I FORGOT THE CHEESE!!! How could I forget about cheese!? So until I practice a little more on the recipe for the empanadas, I am not going to share it. Especially since I made some modifications. But I thought the salad came out pretty well so here it is:

AVOCADO-ORANGE SALAD

I got this recipe from a friend at work, Julie, who got it from Cooks Illustrated. It is a really refreshing and healthy.

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (they said to dry and stem them - I just stemmed them and threw them on the romaine)

1/2 medium onion sliced thin

1 avocado, halved and sliced

2 large oranges, segmented

1. Whisk lime juice, garlic, jalapaño, and orange zest together in a medium bowl; whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Put onion, avocado, and orange segments on top of romaine and cilantro. Pour dressing over top. (Recipe version - Pour all but 2 tablespoons over lettuce and cilantro; toss to coat. Toss onion and avocado in remaining dressing. Arrange onion, avocado, and segments over lettuce.)

The original dressing also called for 1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted in small dry skillet over medium heat until golden but I only had ground cumin so I decided to omit it. But if you have it toast it and throw it in there.